Test Subject
by KitTea
Summary: *Adopted from Hissing Willows* WindClan is taken by the twolegs and experimented on, including Redstreak, a brave young warrior. When they are finally set free, the liquids they had been injected begin to take effect, and the true nightmare begins. WARNING: Graphic material.
1. Chapter 1

**Adopted from Hissing Willows. Trigger Warning: Graphic.**

Redstreak ran as fast as his legs would take him. The small kit- his sister -hung by he scruff, and she caused him to slow slightly. His breath was fast and ragged, and he halted for a moment. He looked behind and saw the twolegs and their monsters. He needed to run. He shivered and took off once more.

In moments he came across the border between WindClan and ThinderClan. Fox-dung. Major fox-dung. He had to get across! He needed escape from the twolegs who were picking off his clanmates and stuffing them in those awful "cages".

The ginger tom saw a floating stick and used a paw to bring it closer. Ah, driftwood would have to do for the moment. Panic began to build up in his chest when he realized it was too small to carry both him and Flamekit. "Please, StarClan." He looked up at the sky, hoping his starry ancestors could hear his prayer. "Allow her to find safety." Then, to the kit, he said, "I'll be back. You stay on this. Some cats will find you, I promise. But it's the only way you can stay safe." Redstreak's voice cracked.

"Brother?" Flamekit tilted her head, amber eyes full of confusion and terror. "I-I can't swim!"

"I know, little one." He picked her up and gently placed her on the wood, ignoring her protests. "So stay on this until someone finds you." For a moment she resisted, trying to get back onto solid ground. Then, reluctantly, she nodded her head.

"I will."

Then the tom pushed her away, toward the other side of the shore. He knew it was dangerous. He knew she had a chance of drowning or being found by a fox or badger. But it was definitely better than being caught by the twolegs. He'd rather them get him than his sister. Besides, they had a better chance of finding her if she was on land. And StarClan knew what would happen and what she'd have to go through if she was caught…he didn't want that.

Redstreak stared for a moment before running once more. He had strong legs for sprinting, but he was afraid to leap across the river. He certainly wasn't a swimmer, nor was he a jumper. Redstreak heard the loud roaring of the monsters coming closer, and he bunched his muscles. It was a stream! He could get over it!

No...he was afraid of water. Ever since the incident when he was a kit and had almost died. His other sister hadn't made it though…Great StarClan, what was he thinking! He needed to survive! Who cared about a petty fear? Well, he did. He couldn't help it. The water was so daunting, and the more he looked at it, the more the stream became a lake. He cursed and spun around. Maybe he could make it to RiverClan. Then he stopped and his heart skipped a beat.

He groaned when he saw the twolegs coming toward him. They'd found him. He looked around wildly, trying to find a good escape. Redstreak gathered all the courage he could muster and ran straight at the twolegs. He let out an ear-splitting yowl, racing right past their legs. Triumphant, he turned toward RiverClan. Hopefully he could find refuge there. And the twolegs wouldn't want to have to go through mud and water to get to him, would they?

Oh, if only victory could last longer.

Redstreak growled as large pink paws wrapped themselves around him. He screeched, scratching and biting wildly. He almost got out, but was promptly stuffed in a tight, cold cage. It pressed against his body, and he felt like he was being strangled. "I can't...breathe!" He gasped, trying to get out. It was too late. He was stuck. "Help me!" He yowled. "StarClan!" He cried to the invisible stars in the blue sky. It was too much of a nice day for what was happening to him and his Clanmates.

He tried to break out using brute force and ended up bruising himself. He wailed, hoping the twolegs would take pity in him and possibly allow him to live. Well, chances of that were slim.

As he was put into the belly of a large gray monster, he glimpsed the cruel face of a twoleg. Redstreak shuddered as his green eyes met the merciless blue ones of the pale, pink creature. "Why?" He screeched. "Why did you do this?!" Then it was all dark. He could hear his other Clanmates, and he felt his heart sink. They were all calling out in the darkness, everyone hoping for rescue. Hoping that someone, anyone would save them.

What seemed like hours later he finally saw light. But that was only the beginning of what would come to be the worst days of his life.

Redstreak and the others were put into slightly bigger cages. What seemed to be dried grass lined the floor. He was given stale brown pellets for food, and murky water that was supposed to be something he drank. When he got desperate he did eat and drink the disgusting things, but for most of the time he tried to avoid them.

The first day was terrible. The twolegs walked past him in white pelts, holding sharp objects. He flinched every time, his heart racing. He had no idea what they were going to do to him and his Clanmates. Redstreak whimpered, his whole body shaking. Then they finally opened the cage, quickly grabbing him before he could try to escape. They pinned him to a hard surface, not allowing him to move. He could barely breathe, and he kept on shivering whenever something touched him.

Then, one of the sharp things poked him. He tried to move away, but the...whatever they were held him down tightly. Suddenly, his blood felt as though it were on fire. Redstreak let out a yowl of agony. He continued to do so, his body shaking and jerking upwards. His throat became dry and hoarse, and he began to vomit. What had the twolegs done to him? It was like a painful type of yarrow that made his body feel as though it were being set on fire.

He writhed, and all he could feel was a horrible agony. He gasped for breath, his stomach aching. When he tried to throw up again nothing came up. His stomach was completely empty. Soon he was just vomiting water. Stomach acid burned his throat and left an acrid taste in his mouth.

There was another poke, and it all came to a stop. He went limp with relief and whimpered. He was still shaking as he was un pinned and thrown back into the cage.

Redstreak crept into a corner, wrapping his tail around his body and hiding his face. He tried to hide himself from everything, feeling nothing but pain and fear. He flinched when he recognized the Clan leader's voice, Featherstar. She meowed defiantly, but a moment later she began to yowl in agony, as Redstreak had. Were they going to do the same thing to everyone they had captured?

He shuddered, hunching his shoulders together. "StarClan save us all." He whispered hoarsely.

But Redstreak would later realize that it would have been better to die, if anything at all.


	2. Chapter 2

Redstreak had lost track of the days. He could hardly remember what the sun looked like anymore. Nowadays, his tormentors could seem like his saviors. He was grateful when they gave him food- if they remembered to. Sometimes they would replace his water and bedding, though that didn't always happen. He'd learned to conserve food and water until after they'd finished doing horrible things to him. Usually his throat was dry and he'd need water.

He was constantly afraid. The only peace he ever got was at night, though it didn't last too long. During that time the twolegs would leave and the light would vanish. The twolegs had to sleep too, he decided. And they seemed to be able to control the sun in this strange place. He shuddered, wondering if there was anything they couldn't control.

Redstreak had gotten used to the stink of the place. He hardly noticed it anymore. The aroma of feces, burnt flesh, and every other thing no longer bothered him. His nose had adapted to it all.

His once ginger coat was matter and dirty, covered in blood, urine, and whatever the twolegs had recently poked into him. Usually they forced a dark blue liquid into his body every couple of days. After they would do that he would feel weird. He shuddered, still unsure what they were trying to do to him and the others. He'd given up trying to figure that out long ago.

He had lost both of his ears, causing his hearing to be worse than before. It was hard for him to hear small noises, making him even more jumpy. Almost half of his fur was torn out and he was still bleeding from the other day. His pelt clung to his thin body and he was Redstreak was beginning to live up to his name. He knew Featherstar was probably having a more difficult time than he was. She still had several lives left, being Clan leader. Even if they killed her she would come back in a new life and be subjected to more torture.

He wasn't sure if he wanted to be killed or stay alive anymore. Any real thought other than fear and pain- he'd mostly forgotten it.

Then the day came when he was injected with something that made him fall asleep. Or maybe it was something that would mean he was about to die. Whatever it was, his natural instinct was to fight against it. Redstreak struggled to keep his eyes open, to stand up and stay conscious. But whatever had been put into him won the battle for consciousness, and he slipped into a deep, dark sleep.

He woke up dazed and confused hours later. For a moment he couldn't understand why he wasn't in his nest. "Huh? Where am I?" He asked, his voice sounding scratchy and hoarse.

"Thank StarClan!" He jumped and turned his head. His eyes widened when he saw his littermate, Sunfang. Without a word Redstreak rubbed his head against her cheek, purring in relief. It was quite dark, but he could make out her features in the dim light.

"What happened to you?" He asked with worry. He stepped back as much as he could in the extremely cramped space and inspected her. "What did they do to your tail?" He whispered hoarsely.

Sunfang's green eyes filled with grief and pain. "They tore it off. They poked and prodded me so much...I felt like I was going to go crazy! I'm so glad to see you though." She nuzzled Redstreak and purred too.

He began to shake. "Where are we?" He asked. "Sunfang, do you know what they're going to do to us?" Redstreak asked fearfully. "I can hardly see anything-" His voice was growing louder and louder.

"They put us together in here, but I'm not sure where they're taking us and why." His littermate whispered. "I think this might be another form of their torture."

Redstreak nodded and pressed his body against Sunfang's. "At least, if we're going to die, we can together." Fear. All he felt was fear and sadness. He'd never get to see his younger littermate grow up if he died. Poor Flamekit...he hoped she was safely in ThunderClan.

They sat there in silence. Every once in a while the floor would seem to shake, and he could swear he saw a glimpse of sunlight. Soon his eyes began to adjust, and he learned that they were in another cage.

This one was smaller, which confused him. One cat could barely fit in a single cage, so why put two in something smaller? Twolegs seemed to be such mouse-brained idiots sometimes.

Redstreak gasped as light suddenly flooded in. Sunfang stiffened, and she tried to cover her face. Something stirred inside of him, and he realized that it was real sunlight. Not the stolen kind that they slept under while being poked and injured by the twolegs, but real, actual sunlight.

He opened his eyes slightly, and his purr stopped in his throat. He saw water. Lots and lots of water.

Panic filled his chest as the cage came closer and closer to it. He unsheathed his claws and let out a low growl. "Sunfang...Sunfang, help." He shook wildly.

"Calm down, it's water. You can drink it, and it tastes great! Look, we're back home! They took us back to our lake! Isn't that great?" His sister tried to make him feel better, and he would've- with her soothing words and voice. But the blue expanse of water and the waves were just too much for him.

Redstreak moaned, attempting to back away. He was beginning to feel sick. The ginger tom was feeling very sick. "No...stop, no!" He cried. They had reached the edge of the water, and it already looked very deep.

He had a feeling that the cruel twolegs were holding the cage. He wondered if they had his other Clanmates. Or were they dead already? Redstreak tried to look around, but the cage was feeling very cramped.

He couldn't breathe. The air wasn't getting to his lungs, and he struggled for oxygen. He began to feel dizzy, and he pressed as hard as he could against Sunfang. "What are...they doing?" He gasped.

The cage began to swing. A screech came from his sister, and he jumped. Then they were thrown into the air, and they were flying.

It lasted a moment, and he got a nice gulp of fresh air. He was glad that he did, because a moment later they came into contact with the lake. Redstreak's eyes widened and his claws scratched the cage's hard walls. He struggled wildly, as did Sunfang.

They were trapped in the cage which was sinking because of their weight. Even if they weren't stuck, he didn't know how to swim. He'd still drown.

His sister bit at the stick that held the cage shut tightly. Redstreak was panicking too much to think about that though. He thrashed as much as he could, though it was hard with another cat right next to him.

Redstreak couldn't get any air. He tried to inhale and began to choke. He coughed and inhaled again, and found himself choking on more water. It was terrible, and he could do nothing about it.

Then the cage opening sprang open. Sunfang's eyes were filled with satisfaction. He felt a small bit of relief as they tried to swim out of it. They managed to get out of the cage safely. But they were anything but safe.

Still deep underwater, they needed air. Redstreak began to despair, knowing none of the two could swim. He started to give up, allowing himself to sink.

A sudden thought shocked him:

Flamekit!

He began to think of his family. Even if the rest of his Clanmates were gone, he still had his two sisters. Redstreak suddenly felt very determined. He forgot that he was even underwater, the fear of it vanishing from his mind. He kicked, propelling himself forward. He grabbed onto Sunfang's scruff, holding on for dear life.

With fierce determination and strength, Redstreak swam toward the surface, kicking and pawing. Without any training or knowledge, he swam through the water gracefully. Sunfang went limp, but he continued upwards. He saw the surface getting brighter and brighter, causing him to push harder.

They broke the surface, gasping and coughing. Redstreak gulped in all of the air he could, feeling victorious. "I did it!" He yowled happily. "Sunfang, I did it!" He was floating by kicking and paddling, allowing himself to hold up his sister too. "Sunfang!" He looked at her and saw her empty green eyes. "Great StarClan...Sunfang!" He cried.

The tom's eyes widened with horror. No, he'd tried so hard! His efforts couldn't have been for nothing. He realized that they weren't too far from the shore, and he began to seemingly glide through the water, pulling his littermate along. "Come on," He begged. "you can do it. We're almost on land." The want to survive replenished his energy, making him feel like he could swim forever. But when they reached the shore he felt like collapsing.

No, not yet.

With a large amount of effort Redstreak managed to get Sunfang onto dry land, away from the water. He pressed his ear to her chest, hoping for the distinctive sound of a heartbeat. He felt hysteria begin to build up inside of him when he heard nothing. "Sunfang! Sunfang, wake up!" He yowled, sounding like a kit crying over its dead mother.

Then there was a scent that made him instinctively unsheathe his claws. "RiverClan?" He gasped. Redstreak gulped, knowing he couldn't take on a patrol. Not in this state. He hoped they wouldn't be hostile.

To his surprise, the RiverClan medicine cat came into view, eyes wide. "What happened?" The gray she-cat demanded, running up to the two siblings. "Did she drown?"

Too shocked to speak, Redstreak nodded.

"Wait here!" The medicine cat commanded. She hurried off, leaving Redstreak to panic. He pressed his head against his littermate's chest again.

"No, StarClan, no!" He was still in denial.

"Out of the way!" He moved, allowing the gray she-cat to move closer to Sunfang. She also listened for a heartbeat. She shook her head and dashed off again. Hysteria built up inside Redstreak again. What was going on? What was the medicine cat doing? Then she ran back carrying something in her mouth. She spat it out as though it were a deathberry.

"What's that going to do, Stormheart?" Redstreak whimpered. "Can you save her?"

"We'll see." The gray she-cat shook her head grimly. She pushed it down Sunfang's throat. At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then the ginger she-cat known as his sister jumped, as though a bee had stung her. She gasped, inhaling as much air as she could and then coughing. She groaned and opened her eyes slightly. They weren't empty anymore. In fact, they were now full of life. Green and alive.

"Sunfang!" Redstreak cried, rushing forward. "Thank StarClan!" He shook with relief. He turned to the medicine cat. "Thank you, Stormheart. Thank you so much!" He dipped his head.

Stormheart nodded. She too looked very relieved. "You two look terrible. You're coming back to the RiverClan camp right now, no questions asked." She began out of nowhere, surprising him.

"But-" Redstreak began, unsure about her offer.

"I don't care if you're from WindClan-you need rest and food! Also, those wounds look like they could be infected. I'll need to check them." She nudged Redstreak up. "Come on, you two can explain after I fix you up." Stormheart led them back to the RiverClan camp. He didn't even bother wondering how she knew he was of WindClan.

He was too tired to care that he was on another Clan's territory. Everyone in the camp seemed to be staring when they entered, but he couldn't care less about that either. "Thank you," He sighed happily when Stormheart gave them both a mouse to share.

"It was the only one I could find." She replied apologetically.

"It's fine." Sunfang purred gratefully. They both looked up when the RiverClan leader stepped into the medicine cat's den.

"Stormheart?" The leader, Ripplestar, asked suspiciously. Then he saw Redstreak's condition, and his eyes widened. "You're one of the WindClan cats who went missing last moon! Great StarClan, what's happened to you?"

Redstreak shut his eyes, still traumatized. "The twolegs came and took us away." He started to shake again.

"He needs to rest." Stormheart interrupted. "I'm sorry, Ripplestar, but please come speak to them tomorrow. They need their sleep, as you can see." The Clan leader nodded.

"Good night." Ripplestar dipped his head and exited the den without an argument. Obviously Redstreak would have to explain everything the following day. He braced himself, getting ready to talk about his horrible experience.

Redstreak felt like falling asleep, now that he was finally free. They were no longer captured by the terrible twolegs! But there was an even more terrible weight on his shoulders. His other Clanmates had drowned. They must have been thrown into the lake too, but he hadn't seen any of them swimming or on the shore.

They were all dead except for him and his littermate. As the realization finally set in, he began to shake with grief and horror. This was the price he had to pay for freedom. For his own freedom.


End file.
